What Could've Happened II
by gonnahaveagreatday
Summary: If Elena had died instead, and Damon was left to think about her, about their last night. What would that look like?
1. It's Warm in Kentucky

Stefan came into the house; the door was left wide open. He knew where he would be. He went up the stairs, turned in and saw the door shut. He tried the doorknob and found it was locked. Damon didn't want anyone's help and he was going to try and make sure that would not happen.

He sat at his bedside, or rather, her side of the bed, in front of the bedside table. The edge of it propped his back up instead of falling out from behind him. He'd raged enough in this room for it to collapse into dust a hundred times over. He had the blanket around his shoulders from his closet, embracing the warmth and pulling it closer sometimes. He took a swig of the bourbon from the bottle and set it down, its glass sounding on the wooden floor. He ran his hand through his hair and remembered he hadn't showered in a week, plus hadn't combed his hair for even longer. He wouldn't be surprised if he ended up with dreadlocks before he could get up from that spot in the room. Their room. He turned his head towards the bed, to where Elena used to sleep. Her body laid out against the mattress, the blankets over her. She'd be facing towards him, her hair spread out against the pillows and her hand curled up in front of her. But Elena wasn't here. She was gone. She turned and pressed her body into the mattress, and then her brown eyes set upon his. He was frozen. This wasn't real, why could she move? Every other time he'd tried to turn her body towards him he'd find her lifeless, her eyes open and staring at him in love. She didn't know she was going to die. She couldn't even have said goodbye to him.

"Stefan!" He yelled in warning. Stefan sighed and turned away from the door. Elena disappeared from the mattress and Damon resisted the urge to call out to his little brother, bring her back. He stared at the wooden floor, the bourbon before him as if it was waiting.

"What?" he snarled at it, and stood up with his vampire speed, grabbing the bottle and the blanket flying off his shoulders, and he smashed it into the ground.

He continued staring at the half-empty glass of bourbon and thought with despair that he'd have to leave the room soon. People would be pouncing on him to tell him to let Elena go. He picked the bottle up and downed it, then put it to the side. It fell over and rolled away from him, its glass sounding on the wood louder than ever before.

It was his fault. It was his fault she'd died; he didn't make her get out of the damn car. He would go down to the driveway to smash it to pieces but he'd done that already. It was his fault she died, he didn't make her get out of the car, he was supposed to die, no one else, not her. Not her! He got his brother back but he lost the love of his life. Now whenever he saw Stefan, he saw Elena's face. It wasn't right. He should've left Stefan on the other side to die.

 _No._ He heard her voice and he stood up, looking around wildly.

"Elena?" He asked gruffly and received no reply. "Elena?!" He cried out. Stefan knocked on the door frantically.

"Damon? Damon let me in, please!" Stefan cried.

"Why should I" Damon snarled at the door "I don't wanna hear anything you've gotta say." He growled.

"You do." Stefan replied desperately. "You need to look down deep inside, and you're gonna know I'm right." He said. Damon glared at the door, found the bottle and threw it at him.

"Get the hell away from my room." He growled.


	2. Getting Her Back

The next day he found himself lying on his bedon top of the cover with his clothes and shoes still on. A bottle of jack in his hand tucked in his side. He'd fallen asleep with his mouth open and snorted as he awoke, rubbing his face with one hand. Then he saw her. Gorgeous-looking Elena. Wasn't she always? She stood in front of the bed, in a spaghetti strap dress, her hair straight. He leaned forward and the bottle fell off the bed.

"Elena" He breathed. She smiled at him and his heart fluttered. "What's happening?" He asked.

"You're hallucinating, Damon, isn't it obvious?" She asked.

"I didn't want it to be that obvious." Damon grumbled. Elena gave him a look and he stared at her as she walked to sit at the foot of the bed.

"You shouldn't be holed up in your room, Damon. Stop mourning me." She replied.

"You think I'm mourning you?" Damon asked. Elena's face changed in confusion. "I am beating myself up for you dying, I know it was my fault. I'm not going to mourn you, because that means I won't ever see you again. And that can't be possible." Damon replied. Elena gave him a look of pity.

"But what if it is?" She asked gently. His face contorted in pain.

"I had the notion hallucinations made you happy, you're not doing it right." He choked in a sob. She smiled.

"I don't want to just be a hallucination, Damon. I want to be real, so I can be with you again." Elena replied. She leaned closer to him and he glanced at her mouth.

"I miss you." She said.

"I know. I miss you too." Damon replied, and came closer to her mouth. Then he pulled back as she almost kissed him. "Wait." He said, and Elena stared at him. "If you miss me, then there's an other side for you to go to. I can get you back." He said. Elena put her hand on his, and he felt her skin.

"Wait a moment, Damon, don't get excited." Elena replied.

"Where are you?" He asked.

"How should I know?" She asked in return a little too rashly.

"Well you're not a good Elena hallucination." Damon remarked. Elena glared at him.

"Would you rather I be Katherine?" She asked, her hand sliding onto his chest, nearing his mouth. "To help you forget to be good, to make you forget Elena?" She asked, her lips inches from his.

"No." He replied, pushing her away, his hands gripping her shoulders. "I don't want to forget being good. She knew I always was. I don't want to forget Elena, either. She was the best thing that ever happened to me." He said. Then he got off the bed and looked back, the Elena-looking hallucination still laying on his bed.

"Be Elena again." He ordered his mind. She smiled.

"Okay, Damon." Elena replied, smiling. "Thanks for resisting Katherine."

"Well, she's not you." He said with a smile. "Come with me." He said, nearing the door.

"Where are you going?" She asked. He opened it.

"I'm gonna get you back, baby." He replied.


	3. Odd News

So this chapter isn't finished yet but I thought I'd get it up. I found that Damon's method for getting Elena back was quite simple to find. He'd just end up reading about the Gemini witch clan...:) Enjoy

* * *

Damon sat in the library, the lamp dimly lit now as the bulb was almost going out. He'd compelled the librarian to let him stay even if she had to lock up the place, and all the while his fantasy Elena was sitting beside him, pouring over every page he could find of where real Elena might be and how to find her and bring her back. He'd brought a bottle of scotch with him, knowing he'd be in there without food for a long while. But he fed on the librarian before she left to keep him feeling alive.

Damon finally came across the history of the Gemini witch clan. Although he disliked witches so strongly, he wouldn't hesitate to make one of them help him bring Elena back in an instant, even if he had to cut off an extremity. As soon as the thought passed through his head, he heard Elena's protesting voice.

 _Damon!_ He smiled to himself. She'd always been the good. Even now that she was gone. The Gemini clan was the most powerful witch group he could find, powerful enough to raise the dead without minor consequences. He'd gladly take those on if they were to push them on him like the snakes witches were, if he could have Elena back.

"Damon." Elena prompted and he looked at fantasy Elena. "You're doing it again." She said with a laugh. He smiled. He'd been talking out loud to himself.

"Keep laughing and I'll do whatever you want." He replied, leaning in.

"I thought you didn't want this." Fantasy Elena said, leaning back and putting a finger to his lips.

"I didn't want you to be Katherine." He replied and leaned back into his seat. "I'd go mad, just so long as you don't leave." He said. Elena smiled at him the way she had when he told her Katherine wasn't worth a hair on her head. Back when Silas was hunting her and Qetsiyah wanted to cut into him with her witchy words.

"Keep reading, Damon. You won't have to go mad to get me back." Elena said.

"Finally, you say something that proves you're my girl." He replied. She gave him a look and he went back to reading about the Gemini.

It was two days later, after some odd stares from college students and the librarian coming to unknowingly give him another snack, that Damon found it. The recent descendants of the Gemini bloodline, Olivia and Luke.


	4. You will Accomp'ny Me

_"Damon." Elena choked, fright flashing in her eyes. "I-" She began. He nodded_

 _"I know." He replied, smiling briefly at her. He was as scared as she was and he gripped her hand, and they crashed into the Grill, sending fire billowing from the ruined building. The Travellers were gone. Markos was gone. He and Elena would bring back Stefan, and Alaric, everyone they'd lost that hadn't found peace._

 _Alaric came over, Stefan, Lexi and Bonnie stood waiting for Damon and Elena, the wind rushing around them. Damon ran up to them._

 _"Have you guys found Elena?" He called over the wind. "I haven't seen her anywhere._

 _"Maybe she's already crossed over." Stefan replied._

 _"You think?" Damon replied._

 _"Yes, come on!" Bonnie called, reaching out for him. He pulled away._

 _"As much as I want to see her again, we came to get you back, Stefan." Damon said, and pushed Stefan towards Bonnie roughly, she braced herself against him, and automatically Stefan saw the graveyard._

 _"No." He muttered._

 _Damon looked back at Bonnie._

 _"Your turn." She said._

 _"No, look for Elena, tell me if you see her." Damon replied. Bonnie looked around._

 _"Yeah, she's right-" Bonnie pointed and Damon turned around. She grabbed his shoulder and he looked back widely._

 _"You didn't just trick me into leaving my girlfriend behind." Damon growled. Bonnie stared at him._

 _"No, I didn't." She replied. "It's not too late for her to show up." She added._

 _He was in the crypt. Where all of his family were buried, minus him and his little brother. They were both alive, but cut it pretty close. He stood there, waiting for Elena to come to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure come and bolted._

 _It was Bonnie._

 _"Bonnie, you should be out there looking for Elena, she might be lost or something." Damon said hurriedly._

 _"Damon." Bonnie said. Damon stared at her. "It's too late." Damon shook his head._

 _"No." He towered over her with a glare that made her want to melt through the floor. "She is not gone. Now you find her and you bring her back." He snarled._

 _"That's the point, Damon." Bonnie replied. He blinked. "Elena's here." Bonnie said. Damon looked around wildly but didn't see her._

 _"If you're playing another damn trick on me." Damon growled and threw his hand down. "I would rip your heart out but Elena would never forgive me, alive or dead." He added. Bonnie smirked and looked over to Elena. She walked up to him, tears in her eyes._

 _"It's time to say goodbye, Damon." Bonnie said._


End file.
